AHDB has joined forces with Livetec Systems to deliver a series of hands-on workshops looking at contingency planning for African swine fever (ASF).
The face-to-face sessions, run in conjunction with the NPA and veterinary practices across England, will support producers in working with their vets to produce farm-level contingency plans. This will help ensure that all levels of the industry are prepared should there be an outbreak of ASF in the UK.
The workshops will cover the clinical signs of ASF and explain how it spreads. Participants will then work through contingency plans and examine the potential knock-on effects to businesses and neighbouring farms.
“Having both producers and vets working together will streamline processes should the worst happen,” AHDB said.
“The threat of ASF is real, and one that should not be ignored. It is a virus that affects pigs and wild boar, can result in high mortality rates and is already well established in parts of Europe. When it hits, it hits hard.
“Preparation is key to understanding and mitigating some of the consequences should you find yourself on an affected premises or inside a control zone following an outbreak of not just ASF but any notifiable disease, such as foot-and-mouth.
“It is why we are stepping up our efforts to get more producers to develop contingency plans in conjunction with their vets.”
Booking your place
- To find out more and book your place, please contact your vet.
- If your vet isn’t running a session, there are plans to cascade the training to vets across the country through a ‘train the trainer’ session at the Pig Veterinary Society (PVS) autumn meeting.
- If your vet needs to learn about the support available, they can contact AHDB via: pig.health@ahdb.org.uk
- You view AHDB’s template contingency plan and guide HERE